Plants of the Pribilof Islands. 135 



near St. Paul. St. Paul is the largest, measuring about 23 kilo- 

 meters (14 miles) in length by 12 kilometers (11 miles) in greatest 

 breadth ; St. George is a little less than 19.3 kilometers (12 miles) 

 in length by a little more than 8 kilometers (5 miles) in greatest 

 breadth. The highest land is on St. George, where a precipitous 

 cliff fronting the sea and a hill in the interior exceed 275. meters 

 (900 feet). The highest land on St. Paul is a little over 183 meters 

 (600 feet). The group is of volcanic origin, and the general sur- 

 face is rolling, with precipitous cliffs along the water front in 

 many places, alternating with broad valleys and basins. The 

 cliffs predominate on St. George. In summer the islands are 

 almost constantly enveloped in fog ; the atmosphere is saturated 

 (the wet and dry bulbs registering the same), and the temperature 

 is uniformly low. the thermometer ranging from 7 C. (= 45 F.) 

 to 9 C. (= 48 F.) or rarely 10 C. (= 50 F.). A good many 

 snow-banks were conspicuous on St. George at the time of our 

 visit, and a few remained in sheltered places on St. Paul. Level 

 moss-bogs and small fresh-water ponds abound, but the greater 

 part of each island consists of extensive stretches of sloping or 

 hilly land thickly strewn with volcanic rocks 2 meter to 2 meters 

 (V> to 6 feet) in diameter, with innumerable pit-holes between 

 them. 



On nearing the islands, if the fog lifts a little, the visitor is 

 impressed by the luxuriance and intensity of color of the deep- 

 green or yellowish-green vegetation which completely covers 

 the surface, as in the case of the less precipitous slopes of the 

 Aleutian Chain. This vegetation consists chiefly of rank grass 

 and bog-moss, interspersed with multitudes of beautiful and 

 showy flowers, which are numerous enough to give color to 

 large areas. There is not a tree or bush on either island, and 

 the highest woody plant a dwarf willow (Salix reticulata) 

 hardly reaches the height of 75 mm. (3 inches) above the 

 moss-bed in which it grows. Many of the side hills and flats 

 are buried waist deep in a dense growth of rank rye grass 

 (Elymus mOllis) and cow parsnip (Heracleum lanatum), called 

 ' poochka ' by the native Aleuts. A coarse but pleasing lupine 

 (Lupinus nootkatensis), averaging nearly 1 meter (3 feet) in height 

 and very bushy, is abundant in most parts of the islands, often 

 growing in company with the handsome monkshood (Aconitam 

 delphinifoliuni), which, together Avith the beds of Polemonium cseru- 



